Coffs Harbour local Ben Norton took time out of his important training program to spend the morning with the Sydney Swans while they were in town.

Norton is currently training for a trek of a lifetime – to climb the tallest mountain on earth, Mount Everest, and he’s doing it all for a great cause and something close to his heart.

Born 10 weeks premature and diagnosed with cerebral palsy at aged two, Norton is teaming up with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance to raise much needed money and awareness for people living dealing with the condition.

He won’t be doing the trip alone, however, with his long-term support worker Joel Durbidge joining him for the epic 62km, 14-day adventure to Everest’s Base Camp.

Ahead of setting off for the trek in March, Norton, who’s a keen Swans fan, got the opportunity to meet the players, have a kick of the footy and see the team train on their final morning in Coffs.

Norton said it was great to see the players up close and can’t wait to head to Nepal to begin the trek.

“It was awesome,” he said after shaking hands and sharing the details of his trek with the likes of John Longmire, Kieren Jack, Sam Reid and Nic Newman. ”I had such a good time”

Durbidge reciprocated, telling SwansTV the journey to the Himalayas is the culmination of a lot of hard work both on and off the beaten path.

“We thought it was a great opportunity to get out there and raise awareness for cerebral palsy in the area,” Durbidge added.

“Training’s involved gym work to get the legs stronger and putting on the backpacks and trekking around the area, long walks and extended hours.

“I can’t thank the (Swans’) management enough for letting us come along – it’s been great.”

Swans supporters can help Norton and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance raise much needed money by visiting https://cpa-everest-2018.everydayhero.com/au/bens-everest-trek or cerebralpalsyalliance.org.au.